Sector-lever press



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. GRAD'ER.

SECTOR LEVER PRESS.

No. 362,953. Patented May 17, 1887.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. W. GRADER.

SECTOR LEVER PRESS. No. 362,958. Patented May '17, 1887.

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3- SheetsSheet 3.

G. W. GRADER.

SECTOR LEVER PRESS.

Patented May 17, 1887.

(No Model.)

Inventor 37 W E ZUi/b oess as N. Puma Plvmwhlhngmphnn Washing! IL n. cy

UNITED STATES PATENT Erica GEORGE \V. GRADER, OF MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SECTOR-LEVER PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,953, dated May 17, 1887.

Application filed February 8, 1887. Serial No. 226,949.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. GRADER, of Marblehead, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improve mcntin Sector-LeverPresses, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention has for its object to improve the construction of that class of cotton-presses known as the sector-lever press.

Sector lever presses as heretofore constructed and known to me have been'made with a cylinder supported upon the bed-plate between the hub-journal supports of the sector-levers, the piston-rack oft-he piston in the said cylinder actuating both sector-levers.

In presses of the class referred to the hubjournals of the sector-levers rest in bearings on columns supported on the ends of the bedplate.

In sector-lever presses having the supports for the sector hub journals resting on the ends of the bed-plate and the power-cylinder supported at the center of the bed-plate, the react ing pressure of the sector hub-journals comes at the ends of the bed-plate,while the reacting pressure of the power-cylinder is at the center of the bed-plate. When the sector-levers are moved to bring the lifting bed-plate toward the cylinder bed-plate,the leverage of the sector'levers multiplies, and, consequently, in the same ratio, the reacting pressure of the sector hub-journals on the ends of the cylinder bedplate is multiplied, while the reacting pressure of the power-cylinder remains unchanged or constant, thus subjecting the cylinder bedplate to a transverse strain, the force of the said strain being directly proportional to the distance of the'point of application of the reacting pressure of the sector hub-journals from the center of the cylinder bed-plate, the bedplate being formed, as it were, into a lever with its fulcrum at the center. In this class of sector-lever presses the cylinder bed-plate is required to be of very great strength, thereby rendering it impracticable to construct a bedplate with a proper factor of safety for a working-load, such as is now demanded for preparing bales of cotton for shipment by the compressed bale system, such as described in United States Patent No, 281,490, dated July (No model.)

17,1883. In accordance with my invention I h ave transferred the multiplying reactingpressure of the sector-lever hub-journals from the ends to the center of the cylinder bed-plate, and I have accomplished this result by removing the sectorhub-journal supporting-columns from the ends to the center of the said bedplate and placing a power-cylinder at each end thereof. By thus placing the supports for the sector-lever hub-journals in such position on the cylinder bed-plate the downward multiplying reacting pressure of the said sector- ]ever hub-journals is brought directly over the upward multiplying power of the sector-levers as transmitted to the lifting-bed. It will thus be seen that the multiplying reacting power of the sector hub-journals is transferred to the center of the cylinder bed-plate, while the reacting pressure of the power-cylinder, which is constant, has been transferred from the center to each end of the cylinder bed-p1atc,thereby relieving the said cylinder bed-plate of all multiplying leverage strain and submitting the same to a compressive crushing strain at the center and directly over the acting power as transmitted by the uplifting movement of the lower bed-plate, consequently permitting the said bed --plate to be made very much lighter.

Another feature of my invention consists in equalizing the working-load of the two pistons by transmitting power from one cylinder to the other, and 1 effect this result by providing the sector-levers with back gears in mesh with each other.

Still another feature of my invention con sists of means for automatically lifting each sector hub-journal off its hearings to permit oil or other lubricant to flow between the hubjournal and its bearing at each downward stroke of the press.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sector-lever press embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail showing in end view a hub-journal of a sector-lever supported in its bearings; Fig. 3, a detail in section and elevation showingin section the hub of a sector-lever and its journal-shaft, and in elevation a journal-boX broken out to show the lubricating-chamber. Fig. at showsin elevation and section the mechanism employed to lift the sector hub-journals off their bearings, the part in section showing the means by which to adjust the upper portiondongitudinally to take up the wear upon the sector-levers; Fig. 5, a sectional detail to tion.

be referred to, the section being taken on line :0 m, Fig. 3; Fig. 6, a side view of the liftingarm. Fig. 7 is a top view of one of the crossheads for supporting the piston-rack, it being broken to show in cross section the pistonrack, V-slides, and friction-rolls; Fig. 8, a'section of Fig. 7 on line as x, and Fig. 9 is asection of Fig. 7 on the irregular line 3 y.

The upper metallic bed-plate, A, resting,as herein shown, upon columns A, which stand upon a suitable fdundation, A supports at its opposite ends two, cylinders, a a, preferably steam-cylinders, the steam being supplied to and discharged from the said cylinders by pipes and valves- (Not herein shown.)

The cylinders a a are each open at the top, and are provided with pistons a a respectively, (see dotted lines, Fig. 1,) the piston a having a piston-rod, a, made as a rack, and the piston a a piston-rod, a, also made as a rack, the said piston-racks being held in proper working position by guides, in a manner as will be described.

Each cylinder 11 a has bolted to it a crosshead stand, 20, which supports a cross-head, 21, to which are secured adjustable V-slides 22, the said V-slides fitting in corresponding V-grooves in the piston-rack to maintain the saidpiston-rack in its proper working posi- (See Fig. 7.)

Each cross-head 21 carries, as herein shown, two adjustable frictionrollers, 23 24, the face of eachroller being pressed against the abutting'face of thepiston-rack by a compensating spring, 30, which is kept pressed against the outside face of the journal-boxes of each friction-roller bya back plate, 25, and setiscre'ws ,26, passing through a supporting-bar, 27,(see

v Fig. 8,) the power of the spring to force the roller against the abutting face of the rack being regulated by the said set-screw. The

springs 30 giveto the rollers 23 24 a compensating or yielding movement to relieve the friction between the back of the piston-rack and the abutting face of the cross-head.

The construction of the press, so far as pertains to my improvements, is the same on its a front and rear sides, and therefore only the parts of the press on one side, as on the front side, (shown in Fig. 1,) need be described, the parts on the rear side performing their functions in identically the same way as those on the front side.

The piston-rack a is extended beyond the top of the cylinder a, and the teeth of the said piston-rack engage the teeth of a front toothed segment of a sector-lever, B, secured to a shaft, b, having its journals supported in bearings b (see Fig. 3,) resting upon a pillow-block, b, secured to or forming part of 'a column, B, fastened, as shown, to a saddle, E, secured to the top ofthe bed-plate A. The teeth on the piston-rack to" engage the teeth b of a front toothed segmentof a sector-lever, B, secured to a shaft, b, having its journals supported in similar bearings, b resting upon a pillowblock, b secured to acolumn, B fastened to the saddle E, and also to the pedestal B, by the crossties b b, secured together.

The sector-lever B has a journalshaft, 0, to which is attached a lifting-rod, C, also attached at its lower end to a journal-shaft, c, '75

on the lifting bed plate 0, located in a space between the foundations A, and vertically movable in guides 0 therein, (see dotted lines, Fig. 1,)thesaid lifting-bed also having ajournal-shaft, c, to which is connected one end of the lifting-rod C the other end of the said lifting-rod being attached to a ,journalshaft, 0 on the sector-lever B The sector-levers B B are respectively provided at their rear side with a segment of toothed gearing, c 0", in mesh with one an other.

The press as thus far described may be used either to compress a single bale of cotton or for the recompressing of two or more once- 9 compressed bales into one bale or package, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described in United States Patent No. 281,490, granted to me July 17, 1883.

Let it be supposed that a number of bales of cotton-say from two to eight-have been placed upon thelifting-bed G. Then thesteam or other power is admitted to the cylinders a a to move the pistons a a upward. As the pistons a. a are forced upward their racks a,

a turn the sector-levers B B, respectively, in the directions indicated by arrows2 3, Fig. 1, the sector-levers being turned in the said directions until the resistance offered by the compressed bales between the cylinder bed- 1C5 plate and the lifting-bed equals the power of the said pistons plus the accumulated power of the sector-levers. It will thus be seen that the downward multiplying reacting pressure of the sector hub-journals upon their bearno ings is directly over and opposed to the upward compressing power of the lifting-bed, thus submitting the material of the cylinder bed-plate to a compressive crushing strain instead of a transverse strain, as is the case with I I 5 sector-lever presses as heretofore constructed.

If it should happen, as the bales of cotton are being compressed between the upper and lowerbed plates, that greater resistance should be offered by the bales at or near either end of I20 the lifting-bed than at the other, then in this case power will be transmitted from one cylinder to the other cylinder through the medium of the toothed segments 00 011 the backof the sector-levers to equalize the working- 5 load of the two piston-racks, consequently obtaining a simultaneous movement of the two pistons.

In order to provide for a more perfectlubrication of the sector hub-journals, the teeth 3 near the lower end of the toothed segmentb I) of the sector-levers B B are respectively engaged by the toothed surface or end (1* of arms cl d. The toothed surface or end d of each arm (Z (2 extends across the sector-lever with which it cooperates, and on opposite sides of the said sector-levers the said arms have uprights d d respectively secured to them, the uprights d on the arm d cooperating with a roller or stud, d, on the sectorlever B, while the uprights d cooperate with a roller or stud, d", on the sector-lever B", for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

Each arm (I d is provided with a journalsha'ft, e, resting in its box 0, (see Fig. 4,)supported in a pillow-block, e, secured, asshown, to the saddle E, and provided with upright guides c for the journal-box, the journal-box resting upon an adjustable wedge, 6 the latter being supported by the pillow-block. The wedge c is provided with screws 6, (only one bcingshown,)the said screws having, as shown, two collars, 0 supported in a bearing, e", secured to the saddle, the screw 6* being rotated by the wheel a but prevented from moving longitudinally by keys 0 inserted through openings in the bearing 0, there being a key above and below the screw 0 between the collars e rotation of the screw moving the wedge c to raise or lower the jonrnalbox e, and thereby the arm (2, as desired.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, I have shown one pillow-block, as b", detached from its column B, to more clearly illustrate the method of lubricating the hub-journals of the sector-levers. The bearing f of the shaft I), as herein shown, has secured to it at its front end a semicircular plate, f, extended above the center of the hub-journal. The end of the hub-journal is cut away to form a chamber, f, between it and the platef', for thcreeeptiou of oil or other lubricant. The shaft 1), as herein shown, is provided with a central longitudinal bore, f communicating with the periphery of the hubjournal by radial passagesf (see Figs. 2 and 3,) the oil or other lubricant in the chamber f flowing into the bore f* and through the passages f to the bearings to lubricate the same when the sector-lever hubjournals are raised from their bearings by the arm (I, as will be described.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be noticed that as the sectorlcver B is moved in the direction of arrow 3 the arm (I is moved toward the left, or in direction of arrow 4, until the teeth on the end of the said arm are disengaged from the toothed segment I) of the sector-lever, and when thus disengaged the arm d falls by gravity, as herein shown, until a buffer, f, on the said arm strikes a buifenf secured to the cylinder a. The arm (1 is moved in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrow 5, by the sector-lever B, a buffer, f on the said arm striking against a buffer, f, secured to the cylinder to. The arms (I (1 rest with their buffers hearing against the buffers f f, respectively, during the completion of the upper movement of the sector-levers, and also on the backward movement of the said sector-levers until the rollers d d, attached to the sector-levers B B respectively, engage the uprights d (1 secured to the said arms, the said rollers on the further backward movement of the sector-levers bringing the teeth on the armsinto engagement with the teeth of the toothed segment I) b of the sector-lcvers, and at the completion or final backward movement of the sector-levers the longitudinal axis of each arm will be directly under and in line with the center of the hub-journal of the sector-lever with which it co-operates.

The lengths of the arms (1 d are so adjusted by means of the wedges e that when brought into their vertical position the hub-journals of the sector-levers will be automatically raised bodily from off their bearings b any desired distance, to permit the oil in the thamberf to flow freely in between the journal and its bearing b and also from the bore f through the passages f to the bearing, the latter in this manner being thoroughly lubricated at each downward stroke of the press.

To prevent the oil escaping from the end of the box next to the sector-lever hub a packing, f, is wound in a recess between the sector-lever hub and the side of the box of the journal-bearing, as shown in Fig. 3.

WVhen the journal is lifted up from its bearings, as described, it is necessary that provision should be made whereby the cap g of the journal may be raised at the same time, and to be again lowered when the journal is lowered upon its bearing, the cap thus effectually covering the journal at all times. To effect this result the cap 1 is provided on both sides with a boltingllange, 9, (see Fig. 5,) which has extended through it at suitable intervals apart collar-bolts gflserewed, as shown, into the pillow-block If. The flange g about the bolt g is bored out to form a chamber to receive a rubber or other spring, 9", provided with a follower, g, the said follower retaining the rubber or other spring in its chamber by the adjustment of the nut XV hen the hub-journal rests upon its bearing, the parts just enumerated occupy the position shown in Fig. 5; but when thejournal is raised off its bearing, as described, the cap 9 is moved upward, the spring 9" being compressed, and when thejournal is lowered again to its bcarings the cap 9 is replaced by its own weight, assisted by the spring.

To obviate jarring of the press the sectorlevers at each end are provided with buffers h, preferably of rubber.

I claim 1. The combination, in a sector-lever press, of the following instrumentalities, viz: a cylinder bed-plate, a lifting bedplate. sectorlevers intermeshing one with the other, two cylinders, means, substantially as described, to operate the said sector-levers, and lifting rods to transmit the power of the sector-levers to the lifting-bed, the said instrumentalities operating substantially as described.

2. In a sector-lever press, the cylinder bedplate, two cylinders, one at or near each end thereof, pistons therein,two sector-levers having theirj on rnal-supports resting upon thesaid bed-plate intermediate of the said cylinders,

thelifting bed-plate, and lifting-rods to transunit the power of the sector-levers to the said lifting bed-plate, combined with means, substantially asdescribed, operated by the said pistons to actuate the said sectorleverawhereby the downward reacting pressure of the sector-journals is applied directly over the up-. ward compressing power of the sector-levers, substantially as described.

8. In a sectorlever press, the cylinder bedplate, two cylinders, one at or near each end thereof, pistons therein, two sector'levers having their journal-snpports resting upon the said bed-plate intermediate of the said cylinders and intermeshing one with the other, the lifting bed-plate, and lifting-rods. to transmit the power of the sector-levers to the said bedplate, combined with means, substantially as described, operated by the-said pistons to actuate the said sector-levers.

4. In a press, the cylinder bed-plate, two sector-levers geared one with the other and having their journatbearings supported by the said cylinder bed-plate, the lifting bed-plate, and connecting-rods to connect it operatively with the said sector-levers, combined with two cylinders located at or near the ends of the cylinder bed-plate, pistons therein having toothed piston-rods,and with guides, substantially as described, for the said pistonrods, substantially as set forth.

5. In a sector-lever press, a sector-lever and abearing for the j ournal of thesaid sector-lever, combined with a plate to co-operate with the end of the said journal to form a chamber to contain a lubricant, and with means, substantially as described, co-operating with the said sector-lever to lift the journal from its bear- 4 ing to permit the lubricant in the said chamber to flow between the said journal and its bearing, substantially as described.

6. In a sector-lever press, a sector-lever, a bearing for the sector-lever journal, and a cap to cover the said journal and provided w th a packing, substantially as described, comblned with a plate to form with the end of the said journal a chamber to contain a lubricant, and with means, substantially as (16SC1lbed, t0 cooperate with the said sector-lever to lift the journal from its bearing to permit the lubricant in the said chamber to flow between the said journal and its bearing, substantlally as described.

7. In a sector-lever press, a sector-lever and a bearing for the sector-lever journal, and a plate to form with the end of the said ournal a chamber to contain a lubricant, combined with means, substantially as described, co-opcrating with the said sector-lever to lift the journal from its bearing to permit the lubricant in the said chamber to flow between the journal and its bearing, and with the packing f, wound between the sector-lever hub and its journal-bcaring, as and for the purpose spec fied.

8. In a sector-lever press, a toothed'sectorlever,ta piston-rack co-operating therew th and provided with V-grooves, combined with V-slides fitted to said grooves and with a friction-roller in contact with the said pistonrack, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. GRADER.

\Vitnesscs:

' GEO. W. GREGORY, J. H. OHURoHILL. 

